The Midnight Fight
by Zakuro Rose
Summary: A seemingly imposible mission. On a cold, windy, and snowy night a battle is set. Guided by the leading generals and carried out by the best soldiers in the army, they fight to win a battle that could mean the end to this civil war.


**The Midnight Fight**

* * *

**  
Disclaimers:** Characters used in this story belong to their respective owners: Hiei (c) Yoshihiro Togashi; Rose (o) Zakuro Rose

* * *

It was getting darker, colder, and snowier by the second as the boats pushed off the shore into the icy river. Rose and Hiei sat in the back of one of the larger boats. Hiei put his arm around Rose, but she didn't mind. They were like twins and they lived together longer than they were orphans, which was a majority of their lives. Rose was scared and she knew by Hiei's actions that he was too, even though he would never admit it. 

Rose saw that the rowers were working hard. They were using their oars to break the ice and try to make a somewhat smoother path. The enemy destroyed all of their heavy duty naval ships, and so they were stuck using rowboats. Suddenly the boat hit a chunk of ice and the boat violently jolted. Many lost their balance and fell to the deck. Rose wanted to cry but something inside told her to be strong and she held back the tears; to only think of the goal.

It was cold though Rose could scarcely feel it and Hiei wasn't affected by it at all. The light snow seemed to be turning into a blizzard and she could see other soldiers shiver more as the moon raised into the night sky. But the cold was not a major discomfort. No. It was the wind-storm lashing like a whip, stinging with every gust. Everyone's face was turning red with windburn; they thought it hurt more than being riddled with bullets. But they all kept silent for they new the worst was yet to come.

For an hour the fleet slowly sailed down the half frozen river. Every so often the boats would run into chunks of ice and the boats would violently jerk. As soon as they heard the thump everyone grabbed onto a secure part of the boat for they knew that if they fell into the river they would be dead by the time they came out. The boats were slowing down, not as if they were going fast before. The soldiers at the head of the boat searched for a safe place to land.

Rose and Hiei were asleep in the back of the boat. Two soldiers shook them lightly to wake them. They opened their eyes and stirred for moment. "Generals," one of the soldiers said, "it's time." Hiei nodded and the soldiers turned to finish their duties.

When the order to land was called, the ships were barely sitting on the shore. The crew jumped out of the boat and waded in the chilling waters and pulled the boats to shore; their feet were numb in seconds. As soon as the boats were safely on land, supplies were removed and soldiers gathered by a tree where the two generals stood.

Hiei was not very social so he looked away from the regiment, but Rose did the opposite, she was ready to make her speech. "The time is upon us to finish this war, even if the present outlook is poor. But don't give up hope. There is a good possibility that they are not even expecting us on this cold Christmas night. Be careful though. The moon is your only light, though it isn't shinning, and the snow is coming down harder. I want you to come back alive. So think only of the goal and keep in mind what you are fighting for. And remember that your previous training taught you not to fight until you reach your limits but fight and go beyond it. Now go. Good luck. Be safe."

"Yes, sir!" They all replied loudly with a bit of hope. They saluted the generals and the generals saluted back. The platoon leaders called for their soldiers to gather in their correct divisions, and the regiment divided into platoons. Rose, Hiei, and one hundred other soldiers watched the soldiers leave. The Generals were ordered not to fight and stay behind to treat the wounded afterwards. The other one-hundred soldiers stayed behind to row the thirty-seven boats back to base and act as a line of defense.

Rose thought of actually how poor the outlook of this battle was. They didn't know how many enemy soldiers they had or how heavily armed they were. Furthermore, they had a hunch that the enemy was expecting them and might be walking blindly into a trap. If you think about it a lot, the battle was almost suicidal. But they all had an option to come. They could pass saying they would like to live to see another day, or to think only of the goal and try to win the battle that would end the entire war. But all of the soldiers asked did not pass down the offer. Rose was surprised at that.

They heard cannons, guns, and other explosions, and occasionally the screams of people. But they were surrounded by forests except for the big empty land where the battle was to take place and could not watch the fight. Soon lights were coming from the battlefield and they were so bright it could outshine the moon outshone the moon.

When the noises subsided, Rose and Hiei went to check the battlefield. The battle was indeed over. They walked on the blood soaked soil and snow and saw lifeless bodies lie on the ground, but none of them looked familiar. Other than that, the area was empty. After half an hour of searching the surrounding area, Rose and Hiei were about to give up their search. Suddenly thirty-five platoons gathered in the battlefield and greeted the Generals. Many were wounded, but nothing looked too serious. The platoon leaders said after they defeated the enemy brigade they advanced farther and took over the enemy base. There were only about twenty deaths.

The ships took off from the shores again and everyone helped to get the boats upriver. It didn't seem cold at all and the wind and snow where lighter. They thought, and still do, only of the goal and the odds shifted. This final battle was a major victory. A major victory indeed.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Characters:

Rose and Hiei: Two Generals of the Army noted for their skills and leadership ability. Rose is seemingly an outgoing and thoughtful girl. She is an excellent strategist and skilled at armed combat. Hiei is a quiet and introverted boy who is known for his courageousness and armed combat skills. Both are of the demon race, intelligent, and are disappointed that they have to stand on the sidelines in this battle. Both are close to each other and share each other's abilities.

Other soldiers in the regiment of the Makai Army

General Notes

The war is seemingly about control of land. The battle is over the control of the river (a major piece of the land).

The time and date: around midnight on Christmas Eve/Christmas

In-Depth Notes

Paragraph 3:  
"...as the moon raised into the sky."- They can't see the moon. The line was meant to be for comparison.  
The word 'wind-storm' is meant to be different from 'windstorm' since it is snowing at the time.

Paragraph 5:  
They're sleeping on the job since they have gotten little sleep due to the preperations for the battle.  
When the generals wake up, Rose is more drowsy since she is not a 'morning person'.

Paragraph 7:  
I hate the speech just because I hate speeches like that. However, the story seemed incomplete without that kind of speech.  
Though the story says she "..is ready..." she is atually improvising.

Paragraph 8:  
Rose is puposely refered to as 'sir'. She thinks it's weird to be refered to as "ma'am".  
Rose and Hiei are oredered to stay behind because there has been an expectance of numerous injuies, and Rose is a skilled medic/doctor.

Paragraph 10: "...outshine the moon."- they still can not see the moon. It is just another comparison.

Paragraph 11: Though there were only 20 casualties, more of them died after the battle due to the severity of their wounds. Plus, the best soldiers were chosen to fight in this battle.

Other Notes

In the original version, Hiei's name was changed to Vincent so people could pronounce his name.

In this version words were changed around so all of the moon references were comparisons. In the original version, I forot that if it were snowng, you wouldn't be able to see the moon.

Thank-you for reading my story!


End file.
